The Mbaise USA and Mbaise Leadership Forum (MLF) have expressed concerns over the security situation in their community and Imo State in general.
In a statement issued yesterday, the groups said it was difficult to watch the recent events in Imo State and expressed sadness by the escalation of violence, the needless loss of lives, and the destruction of property.
The statement was jointly signed by the President of Mbaise USA, Mr. SO Echendu, and the Moderator of Mbaise Leadership Forum (MLF), Mr. Chris Ohanele
“We sincerely hope that peace will soon be restored.
All of us are united by our shared purpose to live in peace and security and to go about our legitimate activities without let or hindrance. And we desire to be treated with fairness and justice. But we know that the constitutional rights of Nigerian citizens cannot be taken for granted. And so, we have the right to demand them. But on the various possible ways to achieve the purpose, and to make our just demands, reasonable people can disagree without resorting to violence,” the statement explained.
The groups acknowledged all peaceful initiatives aimed at securing the lives and property of law-abiding citizens whose lives have been significantly impacted by the unrests and general insecurity.
“We support the call by Ezuruezu Mbaise for our people to stay away from actions that will lead to insecurity in our land. We ask Mbaise people to desist from making utterances that may inflame the current situation and further endanger lives and property. Social media should be used responsibly and not as a tool to cause panic. It should not be used to post hateful propaganda and incendiary comments,” the statement added.
They also called for unity among the people in the face of a common threat to their security.
“We must avoid the temptation to turn on one another. Given the Nigerian geopolitical reality in which we are so tenuously situated, our strength at this moment lies in our ability to exercise caution and restraint. This may well be a winning strategy for survival. But we must set our sights higher than mere survival. We must aim to thrive, and by the grace of God we will live and thrive together,” the statement concluded.
